The present embodiments of the subject invention relate generally to a header for an agricultural farm implement. In particular, the present embodiments relate to a cutter guard assembly cover for a header of an agricultural farm implement e.g., a cover for a floor sheet of a cutter guard assembly. The present embodiments also relate to a cutting assembly that is associated with an agricultural equipment, and in particular to a protection that mitigates contact of foreign objects (e.g., crop residue/crop, stone, pebbles, soil, crop/crop and the like) with a knife arm of such cutting assembly.
Mechanical harvesting of crops and processing of crop material e.g., hay, grasses, small grains and the like has taken place for decades. However, efforts continue in the attempt to make harvesting and processing operations more efficient and effective. This is typically accomplished with farm implements such as mechanical harvesters, a hay head, windrowers, etc. Exemplary farm implements include an agricultural combine having a header which cuts the crop. The header then moves the cut crop into a feeder house. The feeder house lifts the cut crop into the threshing, separation and cleaning areas of the agricultural combine. An operator usually runs these various operations from a glass-enclosed cab.
Certain farm implements have headers such as a draper header or windrower. Conventional draper headers include a floor assembly typically mounted adjacent a rigid frame of the combine harvester and extending in a widthwise direction. The floor assembly typically includes a plurality of floor sheets or a floor pan. The floor assembly defines the lower periphery of a cut crop or plant flow area, which can include a conveying apparatus, such as one or more augers or belts, operable in cooperation with a reel in machines so equipped, for conveying the cut plant material and crops, for instance to a feeder inlet of a combine or windrow forming apparatus of a windrower.
Conventional draper headers further include a knife assembly typically supported along a forward edge portion of the floor assembly extending in a widthwise direction of the combine. The reciprocating knife assembly is typically oriented so as to extend sidewardly along the forward edge portion of the floor assembly (running in a widthwise direction of the combine). The knife assembly typically includes sickles or knives supported by a cutter bar assembly. In general, such sickles or knives are mounted in a side by side relation forming an elongate metal knife or reciprocating assembly. The reciprocating knife assembly is normally supported so as to slide longitudinally along the cutter bar assembly that has forwardly projecting, spaced apart guards bolted to a structural beam or knife back. The reciprocating assembly moves back and forth in a reciprocating movement to move the knives relative to the guards so that a leading knife edge of the knives cross over the guards or though slots in the guards. This produces a shearing or cutting action which severs plant stems and stalks or other material captured between the knives and guards.
Conventional draper headers further include a knife drive. Some knife drives are located on the side end of the sickle or knife and connect to the knife assemblies utilizing connecting rods or Pitman arms, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,622,299 and 2,332,840. Other knife drives are located in or below the floor of a header and are sometimes referred to as center knife drives, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,810,304; 7,805,919; 7,730,709; 7,520,118; 7,401,458; 8,011,272; and 8,151,547 the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. Advantages of center knife drives can include compactness, efficiency, and manner of translating epicyclic or crank motion to side to side knife motion.
Such headers of agricultural farm implements equipped with center knife drives are used for cutting large quantities of crop material. In doing so, however, excessive amounts of material collect on the surfaces of the knife assembly's gear box and lead to operational failure of the header. As a result, the collection of material of these components must be cleaned out on a regular basis during operation in order to ensure proper operation of the header and prevention of mechanical failure of the header, which is a time consuming and costly process.
Accordingly, a need still exists for a cutter guard assembly to address the foregoing issues of conventional headers of farm implements. Such needs are satisfied by the present invention.